Friday, January 29, 2010

Keeping M. Busy

Any of you who know me in Real Life know that my youngest child is a firecracker. Perhaps it's the red-head temperament, his status as baby of the family, or just plain being spoiled, but it adds up to a child who hits the floor running every morning, ready for action(and/or mischief).

Additionally, I homeschool a 10th grader, a 7th grader, and a 3rd grader, as well as try to keep everyone clothed, fed, clean, and happy (with varying degrees of success). So...how on earth does one keep a very active and agile little boy alive?!?

The answer lies mainly in keeping M. busy (hence the title of this post). The crucial period occurs in the mornings while his siblings are concentrating on the major portion of their schoolwork. I'll admit that too often we resort to quasi-educational television shows when Mom needs time to work on math with someone. Somehow, this seems to signal to him that he needs to "perform" to get Mom's attention. The truth is, M. would love to be a "Big Boy" and do his schoolwork with Mom, too.

My solution to giving M. some one-on-one time with Mom AND an opportunity to exercise his mind and body has been a Christian curriculum called "Little Hands to Heaven," written by Carrie Austin.

We've both enjoyed the lively song CD, Bible stories, and learning activities. Plus, he's able to tell his big sisters, big brother, and Dad what HE's learning in school :). It's a win-win!

There you have it, a new post and some grandchild pics! I hope I made all (2?) of my blog readers happy :).

I love the pictures of M. Thank you for sharing them with us Grands who don't get to see him as often as we'd like. I love the "busy" pictures. M is a real cut up. I think it's great you found a good ciriculum for a precious, precocious, preschooler. One question though- Who is the gladiator in the first picture? Love you all, Mimi.